Bita Daryabari

Ms. Bita Daryabari received a B.S in Computer Science from California State University, Hayward, and M.S. in Telecommunications Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She began her career in the telecommunications industry at GammmaLink, Inc., an early pioneer in computer fax and networking products. Following Gammalink, she moved to MCI Communications, where she distinguished herself as a "President's Circle" top achiever on multiple occasions.

Currently, Ms. Daryabari is working with a number of charitable organizations, including The Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), founded by Sakeena Yacoobi, an internationally known women's human rights activist. Their latest collaboration includes the building of an all-girls school in Kabul. In her next project, Ms. Daryabari is enabling the training of Afghan women by providing micro-financing through organizations such as AIL and Creating Hope International.

In 2008, through her charity, the Unique Zan Foundation, Ms. Daryabari joined forces with Relief International to build a women's center in Palestine. This center will help women acquire necessary job-related skills in order to improve their lives, and ultimately their communities.

Other philanthropic endeavors include a recent $100,000 donation to the British Museum and Iran Heritage Foundation for the Shah Abbas Exhibition.

She has also created the Bita Daryabari Endowment for Persian Literature and Poetry with a contribution of $2.5 million. This endowment will allow the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University to offer courses and organize lectures and conferences on Persian art, literature, and poetry. As part of this endowment, each year a new, internationally renowned scholar of Persian Literature will be selected to be a Visiting Professor at Stanford, and teach courses on some aspect of Persian Literature. Additionally, the endowment will provide an annual Bita Prize in Letters to an Iranian artist or writer who has achieved excellence in their field. The first recipient of this award was Iranian poet Simin Behbehani, in March of 2008.

Ms. Daryabari serves as a Visionary Circle Member of the X-Prize Foundation. Ms. Daryabari was awarded Alumni of the Year at Golden Gate University in 2008.